As the dust settles on the latest epic and brilliant Doctor Who adventure, starring Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, one iconic piece of time-traveling technology has made its last appearance – the Doctor’s trusty Sonic Screwdriver.

In last week’s episode, The Magician’s Apprentice written by Sherlock’s Steven Moffat, we saw the Time Lord give his Sonic to the young Davros (creator of the Daleks). Now, it seems, he is totally ‘over’ it.

Claiming it ruins the lining of his suit, Peter Capaldi’s incarnation of the Gallifreyan has opted for the trendier ‘wearable tech’ – in the form of shades.

The Sonic Shades, which might seem like an idea from a 90s reboot of Doctor Who starring David Hasselhoff that never happened, will feature throughout the rest of Doctor Who Series 9 and Capaldi has already been pictured many times on location filming with them already.

While the Sonic Screwdriver was most definitely not a screwdriver, the shades are just normal shades. There’s no beeping or fancy lights – just shades.

Yet another cheap and cheerful way for everyday Whovians to emulate their current hero (Capaldi famously stated that his costume should be attainable for everyone).

Chatting to Moffat in Edinburgh in 2013, comedian Frank Skinner (who went on to star in 2014’s Mummy on the Orient Express) amusingly ribbed the Doctor Who showrunner about the use of the Sonic in the series, suggesting it was akin to a ‘magic wand’.

Perhaps Steven took that on board?

Sonic Screwdriver – The Facts!

• First use in 1968’s Fury From The Deep

• Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor once turned to the camera and said, ‘Even the Sonic Screwdriver won’t get me out of this one!’ when faced with a locked door on Gallifrey.

• The Sonic was destroyed in the 1982 story The Visitation which also explained The Great Fire of London. ‘I feel as though you’ve just killed an old friend,’ Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor lamented.

• One Doctor Who came back for one night only in 1996 with Paul McGann, so did the Sonic! Briefly.

• The 2005 relaunch brought about the return of the Sonic from the very first episode with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. Captain Jack Harkness, TV’s John Barrowman, mocked the Time Lord, ‘Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, ooo, this could be a little more sonic?’

• John Simm’s The Master had his very own Laser Sonic Screwdriver

• In the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, former companion Sarah Jane had her very own Sonic Lipstick.

• The Sonic doesn’t ‘do wood’.

• River Song, played by Alex Kingston, has her own Sonic Screwdriver. But just how did she get it…

• The Sonic got a revamp in 2010 with the introduction of Matt Smith as the new Doctor.

• Multiple Sonics came into play in the multi-Doctor 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor.

• RIP (again) in 2015

Known for accepting dramatic changes positively (coughs), it’ll be interesting to see how the Doctor Who fan community reacts to this latest move from writer Steven Moffat…